Today, in an exclusive from a BeachGrit reader in Venice, the tableau is filled in just a little more.

His email reads:

Rhonda Harper, Danielle Lyons, and Khadija Sambe show up at the Venice Pier to meet with a crew from NBC.

Once there, the group of women became “bossy”, “territorial” , “acting like they run the place”, “telling other surfers they can’t surf here because they are going to film”. They were snaking several other surfers repeatedly. (This is coming from several surfers questioned about that day, all were asked separately about what happened and all were saying the same things.)

Wagner Lima, noticing the film crew, went up and asked who they were filming. “The pro surfer out there,” he was told by the cameraperson. Being told she was a pro surfer and with her own camera crew, Lima watched to check out her surfing. Not impressed with her level of surfing, Lima laughed it off as being a “joke”, which he told the camera person. (This is coming from Lima.)

Lima then hits the water to surf. Once in, he starts getting the same treatment the other surfers were getting from the women. Getting snaked too. After putting up with it for awhile, the wave with the leash pull happens.

Lima mentions how her leash went around his board, so he yanked it.

He attempt to say sorry right after, but she wasn’t having it.

They all go on about there day, Lima leaves the water, gets smoothie, does some business. He sees the women again in the parking lot and goes up to them to apologize again. He gets cursed out and sprayed head-to-toe with water from the women’s rinse kit.

Soon after is when Harper starts her ruthless online vendetta against Lima. She shows up at the Venice Pier the next day and tells Lima she is going to ruin him. (This comes from Lima.)

Apparently, Harper is infamous in Southern California for showing up to surf spots with her group and acting like they run the place. (This also comes from surfers that said they recognized who she was and know how she acts. There’s even comments on surf forums about her. Her personal Facebook page is filled with posts she made showing anger towards men, white people and the surf industry in general.)

Either Lockwood may have been been feed false info about the incident from Harper, or she just used race-baiting to push her own agenda. (This is just going off her story and her replies to anyone not agreeing with her. She refuses to accept the fact that her story is filled with inaccuracies. For F’s sake, she stated the wrong day of the week it happened) and stereotypes.

To sum it all up: these women showed up to a new surf spot, tried to run the place, started snaking all the other surfers, then one of them got snaked and Rick Cane’d.

What troubles me about the event, and it should you too, is the notion of a ‘rinse kit’.

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

When did they enter common parlance and usage?

And, do people actually walk into a store and buy or does it come in the complete adult learner package?

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Kelly Slater: “I get scared of feeling like I’m alone in the world!”

Kelly Slater has given thousands of interviews in his professional life. He’s talked with all the surf magazines, all the real magazines, television hosts, podcasters, newspapers, blogs, etc. but maybe give the best of his career to Forbes just yesterday.

He spoke with Jim Clash whose byline for the financial publication reads, “I write about culture and adventure sports.” He asked Kelly five simple questions, just five.

1. What’s the biggest wave face you’ve surfed?

2. Where is your favorite place to surf, and where is scariest? (technically this should have been two questions in my opinion)

3. Who was your surfing idol growing up and who are the hot-shots today? (again, two)

4. What do you think of tow surfing?

He has insightful answers to each and you should read in entirety but the most insightful was to the question, “What are you afraid of?”

What’s Surfer Poll’s recently crowned 3rd most popular surfer in the world afraid of?

I guess we’re all afraid of dying on some level. And that fear is realistic in what I do. I know about a half dozen surfers who have drowned. Formula 1 may be more dangerous. I don’t know how many people have died there. But I do know Ayrton Senna was one. I get scared of feeling like I’m all alone in the world, and that no one can help me but me. But that’s kind of why we do what we do. It gives this sense of freedom that it’s you making all of the decisions.

Leaving aside that Kelly clearly had just watched the film Senna before the interview, does it surprise you that he gets scared of feeling like he’s all alone in the world and that no can help him?

I’m here, Kelly. I write about you once a day, sometimes twice, and when I’m writing I think about you, about what you’re doing, who you’re with etc. and then everyone talks about you in the comments below.

All in all, we spend about 3.5 hours a day on BeachGrit thinking, talking, wondering about you. Swing by next time you’re lonely or just listen to this song we got together and wrote for you.

﻿

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Fisher, Grammy nominated superstar.

Former pro surfer-comic turned chart-topping DJ nominated for Grammy!

Earlier today, the nominations for the 2019 Grammy Awards, a sorta Academy Awards for the music biz, were announced. Among the usual names, Drake, Cardi B, Kendrick, Post Malone and Childish Gambino, was the one-time pro surfer-comic Paul Fisher, now trading as DJ Fisher.

Quickly, come down memory lane and remember Fisher as he was.

And, now.

“You heard of the grammys? Well, I’ve been nominated, cunt!” said Fisher.

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Surfer Poll: Alana Blanchard and Jack Freestone confirmed as #1 and #2 surfers in the world!

John John Florence is the most popular male surfer in the world and this should come as no surprise even though he has been injured all year even though we haven’t seen him surf but for once.

But for once is all we needed and he soared to the very stratosphere, to the place once occupied by Kelly Slater.

Kelly Slater, speaking of, he is the third most popular male surfer in the world, drifting back. Filipe is the fourth most popular male surfer in the world, obviously, nipping at Kelly’s heels. Gabe is fifth with Julian and Mick after that with Dane Reynolds still there too.

But wait.

Who is the second most popular surfer in the world?

Like you didn’t already know.

Jack Freestone.

Australia’s Jack Freestone.

Jack Freestone once commented on my Instagram account (RIP) so he’s my second favorite male surfer in the world but I won’t lie. It surprises me that he’s yours.

Did he comment on your Instagram account too?

You can be honest. I won’t be jealous.

Also, his wife, the wonderful Alana Blanchard is the number one most popular female surfer in the world. Even more popular than newly minted seven-times world champion Stephanie Gilmore.

Alana Blanchard, left, and men’s winner John John Florence, ears.

Alana Blanchard never commented on my Instagram but if she had I can’t imagine it being anything other than kind.

Holla! It’s Chas Smith’s Christmas Gift Bag!

I spent a majority of my life quietly hating surfboard bags. As a much younger man, right before heading to Yemen on a three-month long quest, my friends and I purchased two nine-foot coffins to carry our boards and gear. Our boards were normal sized, 5’11” whatever, but I think we felt the extra space would come in handy. It did not. Every day was a sweaty war, duct taping the bag over on itself so we could manage. It was bulky, uncomfortable hell and I cursed them every day, while cursing all surfboard bags.

Last year, I went on a surf trip to southern Mexico and the thought of struggling with another new nine-foot coffin that had somehow come into my life filled me with rage and so I marched down to Hansen’s Surf Shop and and asked the attendee which surfboard bag I should buy.

I chose the Rhino Surfboard Travel Bag and kid you not, it changed my life. My boards, a 5’8″ Mayhem Short Round and a 5’11” Super Brand Siamese Twin slid right in with no wrestling and no sticking to each other, there was ample slots for fins, wax, boardies etc. but the revelation was its padded strap that crossed the bag in a kitty-corner fashion.

“There’s only one choice…” he said, almost snorting that I didn’t know “… Pro-Lite.”

I chose the Rhino Surfboard Travel Bag and kid you not, it changed my life. My boards, a 5’8″ Mayhem Short Round and a 5’11” Super Brand Siamese Twin slid right in with no wrestling and no sticking to each other, there was ample slots for fins, wax, boardies etc. but the revelation was its padded strap that crossed the bag in a kitty-corner fashion.

A modern miracle, I realized when I picked it up at the airport and it didn’t swing across my body, clipping passersby with its aggressive torque. You know that awful reality, no? When your boardbag, held over shoulder, swings back and forth as you walk and you must spend an inordinate amount of energy keeping it straight?

The Pro-Lite bag stayed straight all by itself and was no more difficult to manage than a briefcase. Oh how I then cursed all those years of wandering in the uncomfortable hell. The experience was such a revelation that I also took the bag to Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch even though it was unnecessary because there was plenty of room in Derek Rielly’s rental for stray boards.

Pro-Lite describes the Rhino bag thusly:

Weighing in at much less than a wheeled bag but packing in the same body foam and material the Rhino surfboard travel bag is perfect to have in your corner as you step into the ring with the airline check in attendant. This bag has 10mm foam protection designed for airline travel. Large exterior pockets with drainage will keep the crust off your boardshorts and the smile on your face. A sewn in divider provides the perfect separation to keep wax from switching boards. Need a place for your stash? Throw it in the secret pull out “storage” pocket. Don’t worry about salted zips on this bag; heavy duty molded non-corrosive zippers will keep the movement smooth for the life of the bag.

All fine and true and wonderful but it does not go far enough. This bag will change your loved one’s life and your loved one will be extremely grateful.

You are well aware that we are in the midst of a soft surfboard revolution. What were once tools of adult learners have become a dynamic component of high performance surf life. Jamie O’Brien, Chippa Wilson, Julian Wilson, Mason Ho, Mick Fanning, Steph Gilmore, etc. are all the proof of this pudding’s quality and a soft surfboard is now a necessary part of every quiver.

But which?

Oh of course that is a personal decision. You might enjoy a fun little 5’0″ thing or maybe a 7’0-er for those summer days when the ocean is almost flat but who doesn’t want to splash and play in the warm?

At first I put my daughter on a crusty 4’8″ thruster that I stole from Andrew Doheny many years ago. He had shaped it, if I recall, and I stole it from his house or maybe he gave it to me after an interview but it is terrible and I felt sorry for her so I acquired the Chop Stick.

For me and my house, I have Softlite’s 8’0″ Chop Stick in pink and let me explain.

My daughter, who had just turned four, was begging to surf, dying to surf. At first I put her on a crusty 4’8″ thruster that I stole from Andrew Doheny many years ago. He had shaped it, if I recall, and I stole it from his house or maybe he gave it to me after an interview but it is terrible and I felt sorry for her so I acquired the Chop Stick.

It was fantastic. There was all sorts of buoyancy, as you may expect, and I plopped her on the nose and paddled out to the lineup. We chatted and laughed, while waiting for a wave and when one came it was almost too easy to swing the board around and get in. She gingerly got to her feet while I angled down the line and it was worth anything, worth everything.

After she tired, I paddled back into the lineup alone and couldn’t stop smiling. Soft surfboards make surfing fun again, simply and purely fun, and if you get one for any one of your family members or friends you will be the one to enjoy.

A HAT THAT BRANDS ITS WEARER AS A SURFER IN THE BEST SENSE OF THE WORD!

Dark Seas Division Roycraft Hat

$US29

Surfwear gets a bad rap and, let’s be honest for a moment here, it’s Billabong and Rip Curl’s fault. All surf brands used to ooze cool, exclusive, in-crowd but then Billabong and Rip Curl erected hideous stores everywhere, mostly in outlet malls, selling ghastly things that found their way onto the backs of fat inland uncles and even fatter inland aunts.

While you were wrinkling up your nose in disgust, though, brave young designers have been quietly remaking the game. Quietly reinventing what surfwear means. Taking the power back, as it were.

It’s no less than a revolution and Dark Seas Division is another perfect example of what you should be in/gifting.

Let us examine the Roycraft Hat in black and white. It may appear simple, neat and clean but it is no less than a radical declaration.

“I surf.”

And we all know that surfing beats all. It does so why not brand the ones you love as surfers? The days of running and hiding from your destiny is over. The upcoming 2019 has been declared by publication after publication to be the Year of the Surfer.

I had a cancer cut out of my chest earlier this year. It was no secret nor will it ever be a secret because a) I will never stray from scoop neck’d t-shirts and/or very unbuttoned button-ups b) the unsightly gash hovers above even the highest of my low-neck’d tees, even above a semi-appropriately unbuttoned button-up.

Could have it been avoided?

Yes.

By wearing sunscreen but it always felt so… uncool. So… mommy-ish or sporty or Coppertone not-for-me sexy until Sun Bum came into my life.

I don’t have to sell Sun Bum to you. It sells itself with chic packaging, quality ingredients, eye toward sustainability (it’s reef friendly on top of everything else) and most of all effectiveness. It works exactly as it should.

And seriously, is there a better stocking stuffer? Is there a better thing besides sweet satsuma tangerines to slip into a stocking than a cute bottle of SPF 30 sunscreen? What about a tube of mineral SPF 30 sunscreen lip balm?

Do you have a hardcore surfer in your life? Oh, there’s the entire signature line, in black, fragrance free so it won’t sting eyes and will stay on during the longest boat session.

There’s hair care, tanning amplifiers, baby shampoo… everything. Everything and there is no better stocking stuffer. I’m telling you as a father and husband who has stuffed stockings with Sun Bum to peels of happy laughter and genuine hugs. Genuine hugs that irritated my unsightly gash.

Did you know the story BeachGrit launched on four short years ago was Focus Group Creates Surf Brand. Names it Vissla? This was before our use of colons in the headers, exclamation marks or From the ______ Department. If the story was written today it would be either Breaking: Focus group creates surf brand, names it Vissla! or From the too-much-to-drink Department: Focus group creates surf brand, names it Vissla!

But neither would be accurate because fucking hell, neither are true.

Vissla is as core as it gets. Paul Naude, the brand’s founder, lives, eat, drinks, sleeps surf like no other and wants to recapture the magic in the septic demise of the “big three.” The feeling of being a surfer and being proud and being able to enjoy every bit of this damned life.

I make mistakes and I admit them.

Vissla is as core as it gets. Paul Naude, the brand’s founder, lives, eat, drinks, sleeps surf like no other and wants to recapture the magic in the septic demise of the “big three.” The feeling of being a surfer and being proud and being able to enjoy every bit of this damned life.

Need proof? They are here and happy, able to laugh, able to take a bad joke, able to carry on because it is a brand by surfers for surfers and if that ain’t refreshing in our Era of Outrage than i don’t know what is.

You should buy a wetsuit. A wetsuit that brands your best friend/wife/brother/adult child as knowledgeable, sophisticated, discerning. You know it already. You see the baby teal Vissla logo in the water and think, “That person knows what they’re doing.” I have a Vissla wetsuit (even though I don’t really know what I’m doing). it fits like a dream and don’t cost an arm or a leg. Watch it in action in our Jersey Wetsuit Fairytale.

Vissla makes me smile. The brand understands what makes surfing great and I’m deadly serious just like I am for all of these gift suggestions. BeachGrit was founded on the principle of telling it like it is, or at least like it feels. Those who don’t get it can get bent.

You don’t need me to tell you how wonderful Futures Fins are. You don’t need me to tell you how overjoyed your old man will be when he reaches down past the Satsuma tangerine into the deep recesses of his stocking and pulls out a brand-new pair of John John Alphas.

You don’t need me to tell you how easy it will be to steal them later when the wrapping paper is strewn about the living room and the little ones are alternately crying because they didn’t get an X-Box with Mortal Kombat.

Fins are very much fun and who could have ever guessed that? In, like, 1988 who would have imagined that fins would basically be as fun as boards and as sexy too. And let’s be honest, John John knows the sexiest fin are Futures.

In truth they are just better and I’ve never met a man, woman or child who disagrees with that sentiment. Never had a man, woman or child tell me they like surfing most when their fins fall out and their board transforms, as if by magic, into an alaia.

Your old man will be thrilled, anyhow, or any of your loved ones or you yourself when you “borrow” them.